Welcome to the holocaust being inflicted upon the wild horses of the US. Terrorized by helicopter round-ups and held prisoner. Left to dehydrate and bake in BLM Hoarding Pens without shelter from burning sun, 100+ temps, given unsafe drinking water, foals dying from dehydration, adults and yearlings collapsing and dying in relentless heat and exposure…..why..awaiting slaughter…why so special interest big buck cattle producers can infringe on the lands given to the horses and protected by Federal Legislation. Hell they gotta feed their cattle right!! Govt coffers have to be filled with tax dollars, wildlife and protected lands must be exploited to make room for human greed. Enjoy:

Each and every person employed by BLM and who takes part in these round-ups and inflicts this incredible needless suffering should be charged with GROSS ANIMAL NEGLECT AND CRUELTY AND FACE THE MAXIMUM PENALTY THE LAW CAN LEVY.

BLM is clearly in violation of ALL Animal Cruelty Laws so the question is: Why have these people not faced Criminal Charges?

Because the are paid by the Government of the United States of America!!!

Below has been provided to this writer via email and the word is now being spread.

“Here is an article on Stull’s comments versus her position on horses in California. Her position on horses in California goes along with the comments you have gotten from other vets HSUS, Guilfoyle,.Did she compromise her integrity for the BLM on Tuesday night. I would like for the the man who is in charge of securing shelters ( he was presented at the meeting but I didn’t get his name) and the public to know about Stull’s double standard.”

Dr. Carolyn Stull appears to have one set of standards for horses in California and another for horses in Nevada.

Dr. Stull, along with others at UC Davis, wrote the code for standards of care for horses in California in 2010 and 2013.

In this code she says, “Shelter in the form of a structure must be available for horses in cases of extreme weatherconditions(below freezing temperatures, excessively high temperatures, and/or humidity, high winds, excessive

rainfall) regardless of the horses’ age, breed, or body condition. It appears, contrary to what Dr. Stull said in Reno,Nevada, on August 6, all horses, not just compromised horses, are to be provided shelter in excessively high temperatures. In addition,” all horses “should ” be monitored for heat stress in hot, ambient temperatures. A horse facing heat stress may appear weak or disoriented. Other signs of heat stress include muscle tremors and shallow or rapid breathing.” (Google “Standards of Care for Horses in California.)

Was the quick organizing of a BLM workshop in Reno a courteous act or another PR stunt – pulling a hand brake on bad publicity pertaining to animal cruelty at Palomino Valley government holding facility?

The Obama Administration has said repeatedly that it opposes horse slaughter. But actions speak louder than words. What’s happening now in Nevada suggests that the Administration — through its federal agencies — is actually complicit in sending horses to a slaughter auction. posted on August 15, 2013 at 12:46pm EDT

Please join the campaign to end the continued suffering of these Wild horses across the US. If it were not for the history of the blood and sweat of horses throughout the development of the US, the United States of America would not be where it is today. A DEBT OF GRATITUDE is owed to these magnificent heritage animals.

Please use the link below to address President Obama with your support of these animals now facing mass extinction due to BLM and the personal agendas of those who infringe upon the lands given to these horses and which is protected via passed Federal Legislation.

Horses held at the Palomino Valley Holding Facility are being left to wither and die due extreme heat, dehydration and total lack of concern on the part of the Bureau of Land Management.

Despite the outcry, despite the disgust and fingers continually pointed at the BLM, it is obvious from my earlier posts of today, and their nonchalant attitudes in responding as they have done to Ms. Courtney that they really DO NOT CARE period. Required shade is not being provided!!! Horses, young and old continue to suffer in totally unacceptable conditions.

The war is on and the anti slaughter campaign will not stop. What BLM is doing is a disgrace, a National Disgrace, the fact that the US Government is allowing it to continue is a National Disgrace. The WORLD is watching in total disgust. The fact that Canada has continued to ENABLE this by continuing to import these American horses into Canada to be slaughtered in this country is a National Disgrace.

What is happening at the Palomino Valley Holding Facility is blatant BLM grandstanding in total defiance of the millions of American citizens who are fighting for these horses.

BLM is NOT above the law!!! and must be held accountable for this horrific suffering and death.

The United States Government continues to allow this to happen, ignoring the pain and suffering, the public outcry to end BLM’s actions,

and therefore continues to Disgrace its own country and it’s citizens in the eyes of the world.

Below is the email which I received from Craig Downer, renown author of the ‘Wild Horse Conspiracy’ one of the major voices out there for the wild horses and burros. He is responding to the proposal involving:

Thank you for sending me your notice of proposed action. I have carefully read through this and in turn offer for your careful consideration the following:

I fully understand your duty to fairly represent all legitimate interests upon the public lands and their ecosystems. Knowing this, I am very disappointed that you continue to grossly minimize the wild horses and burros in the vast 784,325-acre Spring Mountains Complex, 21% of which is managed by USFS and 79% by BLM.

I have visited the Complex and its equid herds many times dating back to the 1970s but with special intensity during the past six years. In 2010 I even flew around the complex to get an overview of this fascinating and bio-diverse range and to assess the population density and distribution of its wild horses and burros. I have spent many days observing the wild horses and burros around Cold Creek and in diverse seasons, and have also observed wild horses on the western side of the Wheeler Pass HMA and the wild burros of the Red Rock JMA.

These animals are not the overpopulating misfits they are too often portrayed as! As returned native species in North America, they are simply in the process of filling their respective ecological niches; and their filling such enhances the Spring Mountains Complex ecosystem. As members of the mammalian order Perissodactyla and its family Equidae, they possess distinctive biological characteristics and a distinctive ecological role that is, in fact, complementary to the many other species of plants and animals inhabiting this region. I say this not because I am merely partial to these beautiful animals but because of my objective investigation of their natural history and ecological relationships over many years. These are semi-nomadic species who possess post-gastric, or caecal, digestive systems as opposed to the ruminant digestive system of the other large herbivores who inhabit the Spring Mountains: bighorn sheep, the mule-tailed deer, and Rocky Mountain elk. There have been elaborate, multi-year studies that prove the remarkable extent to which wild equids actually assist such ruminant species, as well as many other species of plants and animals, large and small. These equids act as natural gardeners wherever they roam, fertilizing and building the nutrient-rich and moisture retentive humus content of soils. This is due in large part to the slow decomposition of their droppings. And they also disperse the viable seeds of many diverse native plant species that find a fertile bed in which to germinate in their slowly decomposing feces. In this way, naturally living horses and burros contribute to the ecosystem they inhabit to a greater degree than do the ruminant grazers who more thoroughly decompose the forage they ingest, leaving in their droppings relatively nutrient-poor and drier organic material. This is abundantly proven but it takes that rare commodity known as an open-mindedness to recognize these wonderful facts.

The greater story concerning horses’and burro’ reoccupation of the Spring Mountains region, as well as many other parallel regions, reveals that a wild-horse/burro-containing ecosystem is an ecologically enhanced ecosystem, one with a giant missing piece, or role, that has been restored. Rather than cursing their presence here, this is true cause for celebration, for this contributes to the thriving of the many other marvelous plants and animals who go together in this magical, and uniquely alive and inter-dependent community. Both the horse and the burro are species whose origin and vast majority of time on Earth – measured in the millions of years – occurred in our amazing part of our world: the North American continent. And so much of the inspiring beauty of these animals, I believe, is owing to their natural harmony and benign fitting in with all the Rest of Life – including us humans – if we would only recognize this!

Your 26-page document is full of clever wording and the tricky presentations of filtered and incomplete facts and their biased interpretations. These do no justice to the wild horses and burros with rights to inhabit their several legal herd areas (BLM) and territories (USFS) nor do they do justice to members of the General Public, both in southern Nevada and in the United States as a whole. Among the General Public are literally millions of people who truly love the wild horses and burros and their freedom to truly be themselves out in the wide-open spaces of the West. As public officials you are sworn to fairly and justly represent all the laws of the land and not to favor big vested interests such as public lands ranchers, big game sports hunters, mineral and energy extractors, and big profit-driven corporations that would ride rough-shod and trample down many values and presences on the public lands if so allowed. Wild horses and burros in the wild are a Quality of Life issue, both for America and for all the world. They must not be sacrificed in order to placate greedy, narrow-minded, and selfish interests who do not have the long-term Common Good uppermost in their value and priority systems.

Section 2 c of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFHBA) plainly states that the land where the wild horses & burros lived in 1971 (meaning their year-round habitat by any fair and judicial view) were to be “devoted principally … to their welfare …” The proposal contained in your document, however, ignores this core legal intent by assigning ridiculously low Appropriate Management Levels that are both genetically non-viable and would create tortured populations of wild horses and burros. These would be frustrated in realizing their natural, ecological niche, or place in the life community. Here I present a Table for your consideration based on the data you have supplied in your document:

The mathematical analysis of acres per existing individual 2013 wild horse/wild burro and proposed 2013 AML individual wild horse/wild burro reveals the gross unfairness of the proposed joint BLM/USFS plan for the Spring Mountain Complex toward the legitimate wild horse and burro populations. I have double checked these figures and they clearly reveal: (1) that the current wild horse and burro populations in the Complex are not overpopulated, but rather are still in the process of filling their respective horse or burro ecological niches in this region. Even in the drier portions of the Complex, the number of acres per individual wild horse or burro should be in the low hundreds per individual, not in the low thousands per individual (existing 2013 population) and much less in the several thousands of acres per individual wild horse or wild burro! That the proposed Appropriate Management Levels for the enormous 784,325-acre Spring Mountains Complex plans to allow for only one individual wild horse per 7,615 legal JMA acres and for only one individual wild burro per 5,299 legal JMA acres reveals the disgusting extent to which our BLM & USFS public officials are subverting the true intent and purpose of the unanimously passed WFHBA! This is a travesty of justice and must not be allowed by a caring public! It makes mockery of American democracy and caters to the traditional enemies of the wild horses and burros, especially in the case of the Spring Mountains Complex to the big game hunting interests represented by the Nevada Department of Wildlife. This agency has traditionally sought to eliminate wild horses and burros from the state of Nevada, including its majority of federal lands and in spite of their great popularity with the general public both in this state and nationwide.

As a wildlife ecologist and individual human being, I wish to go on record that I will legally protest and challenge this proposal through every means available. It represents a hostile betrayal both of the magnificent wild horses and burros and their freedom; and of the majority of Americans – the General Public – whose Quality of Life would be grievously damaged were this shameless and deceptive plan to be officially adopted and implemented! Below I list some of my major objections on a page-by-page basis to points contained in the BLM & USFS proposal.

Page # Specific Comments

2-3: I propose that you employ Reserve Design in order to achieve a “Thriving Natural Ecological Balance” with “naturally self-stabilizing populations” of wild horses and wild burros. This is a branch of wildlife conservation that has been used in many places and for diverse species and ecosystems. I describe and adapt its principles for the wild horses and burros and their inhabited ecosystems in a proposal as well as in my recent book The Wild Horse Conspiracy, Ch. IV, and would be glad to send you a copy of both.

6: Concerning water in the Johnnie JMA, BLM & USFS should take steps to secure year-round water sources for the wild horses & burros here. Both agencies should avail themselves of the Implied Federal Water Rights that came with the WFHBA.

Allow the wild burros to naturally occupy the drier habitat to which they are well adapted, such as the Mojave Desert, but do not interfere with the natural process of niche separation between the wild horses and the wild burros. Simply allow it to occur.

Various pages & tables: There is clearly no overpopulation of wild horses and burros in the Spring Mountains Complex. The populations of both species should be allowed to fill their respective ecological niches and naturally self-stabilize within their bounded but sufficiently large habitat areas. This they will do as ecological “climax” species. (See my description of Reserve Design for ideas on how to contain these wild-equid-containing ecosystems in Ch. IV of my book, also for definition of “climax”.)

Whole document: You need to contrast the wild horses & the wild burros with other herbivores living in the Spring Mountains Complex, especially the big game species for which the Nevada Dept. of Wildlife is managing: elk, mule-tailed deer, bighorn sheep. You give no relative comparison of forage consumption, annual migration patterns and overlaps, type of forage consumed by the various species and dietary overlap, and similar factors.

Whole document: You should recognize the very crucial role wild horses & wild burros play in preventing catastrophic wildfires by eating the coarser, drier, more flammable vegetation over broad areas and their converting this via their droppings into rich and moist soils. With their post-gastric digestive system, they are ideally equipped in this capacity. To ignore this salient biological fact is wrong. The ruminant grazers: deer, elk, bighorn, cattle, etc., are not nearly as capable in this regard and burn up their metabolisms in the more thorough digestive processing of such dry and coarse vegetation. In the era of Global Warming, this is a major consideration, as the wild horses & burros, if allowed to fill their niches, will greatly assist in catastrophic fire prevention. In many regions where equid populations have been either drastically reduced or eliminated, catastrophic and extensive fires have resulted due to their no longer being able to consume and process the dry vegetation for which their post-gastric digestive systems are ideally suited. (See my book, Ch. II & Bell, R.H.B, 1970 reference in book’s bibliography.)

5, top: As returned native species, wild horses & wild burros restore and enhance the wilderness ecosystems of the Spring Mountains Complex. They should not be excluded or overly reduced. It is biased and unfounded to treat them as non-natives (see Ch. I of my book).

6 & whole doc.: The wild horses & wild burros must not be arbitrarily excluded from slopes greater than 30%, but rather the various species present, including bighorn, deer & elk, should be allowed to naturally define their niche space within the Complex. In fact, the presence of the wild equids will help the ruminant grazers, by enhancing their habitat and making it more productive (see references to two works by Fahnestock & Detling in my book’s bibliography).

Whole doc., incl. p. 5: Another point is that the Spring Mountains Complex’ sloped terrain where not exceedingly steep can to a large degree multiply habitat, or niche space, for many species. This is due to the provision of greater surface area exposed to precipitation, air, and sunshine (see p. 36 of my book).

Not allowing wild horses & wild burros to fill their ecological niches actually thwarts their natural population stabilization because this interferes with harmonious processes of social and ecological adaptation that take time and being left alone (see pages 125-128 of my book).

6: Per Section 6 of the WFHBA, BLM & USFS need to set up “cooperative agreements” with other agencies, private parties, etc. Also options under Section 4 of the WFHBA should be promoted in order to secure complete habitats, including adequate water, for long-term viable and ecologically well-adapted wild horse & wild burro populations of the Spring Mountains Complex.

6 bottom: In spite of your claim that there is not enough forage, are not the wild horses’ & wild burros’ very abilities to survive proof that there is adequate forage and water for them?

7: This 30% utilization standard can be quite arbitrary and unjust to the actual species inhabiting the ecosystem. Such standards can be out of tune with nature’s balancing processes over time, such as the natural shifts in occupied annual home range over the generations that both wild horses and wild burros display (see Pellegrini 1971 in bibliography of my book).

7 bottom: I caution against using this proportional count of horse fecal ball piles to deer and elk pellet piles. This fails to differentiate between the past-gastric equid digestion (less degraded feces hence taking longer to decompose) and the ruminant digestion (fresh feces already more degraded and hence taking less time to be absorbed into the soils, though providing relatively less nutrients thereto). (See my book, pages 33-34 & 46-48.) These ecological facts are not taken into account, hence the chart in Figure 2 is misleading.

8: You state that your agencies, the BLM & USFS, are trying to maintain a “thriving natural ecological balance.” However, by overly interfering with the wild horses & wild burros, their natural tendencies to fill their ecological niches and to establish natural stabilizations of their populations, your agencies are not respecting what is in truth natural, i.e. your agencies are working contrary to natural processes.

For example, your agencies determination of “excess” is arbitrary. The wild horses & wild burros here are not overpopulated by any objective view. Please take another look at my table deriving # acres per individual wild horse/wild burro. This is on page 3 of this input. To an objective ecological view, these two species are under-populated within the Spring Mountain Complex. Drastically reducing and arbitrarily limiting the wild horses and wild burros to such low, non-viable AMLs, as you are proposing, is anything but “minimal feasible management” and your injection of the phrase “minimal feasible population” is your deceptive invention. Both run entirely contrary to the true intent and purpose of the WFHBA!

8 bottom: Yes, natural movements within JMA must be assured and interior fences removed, also impediments to water access. Also, water sources drained unnaturally to outside JMA must be restored to the extent possible. Exercise your Implied Federal Water Rights (see p. 120 of my book). Also, with regard to natural wild horse and wild burro movements outside the JMA, this often constitutes a natural rest rotation and you should examine possibilities in Sections 6 & also 4 of the WFHBA to see whether cooperative agreements, etc., can be arranged in order to accommodate these movements.

Another point here: what is natural about these arbitrary determinations of population levels set at very low Appropriate Management Levels? To a much greater extent, you should let the laws of nature decide at what levels the wild horses & wild burros should be! Your use of the word “natural” is deceptive.

9 middle paragraph: What are the standards for USFS’ “satisfactory condition or better”? Likewise for BLM’s “healthy rangelands”? This paragraph reveals these agencies’ biased attitudes toward the wild horses and wild burros! The blanketing statement concerning “degraded vegetation” with wild horses & wild burros as implied causal agents is unfounded in fact. No proofs are given. Also it seems you are using MCBB as an excuse to greatly reduce wild horses & wild burros without proof of their detrimental effect. These equids may actually be beneficial to the endangered Mt. Charleston Blue Butterfly. Also, there is no discussion of how large numbers of deer, elk, or even bighorn may be affecting this species.

11 top: 60% male to 40% female sex ratio adjustment. I object! This would disrupt the natural harmony within the wild horse & wild burro societies and further thwart the stable, mature bands, or comparable burro groups, and their important ability to stabilize their own populations. This would result in much stress among the populations, as there would be increased competition and frustration among males and more frustrated mares as well. All this would disrupt the traditional care and education of young equids by older males and females. This is a serious disruption and does not accord with the WFHBA.

11 mid page: There are many adverse effects upon wild horses produced by PZP, including out-of-season births, stress, and social disruptions (see my book, p. 129-130).

17 bottom: Re: genetic diversity & AML: You need to let natural selection operate so that each herd is able to adapt to each unique habitat over the generations. Arbitrarily and periodically gutting the wild equid populations will throw this benign natural process into shambles!

26: Monitoring and Tracking of Treatments. Point 1: You need to factor in natural mortality rates of all ages and sexes. I have observed that many foals die in nature, including from accidents, disease and natural predation. (It is very misleading to state that there are no natural predators for the wild horses and burros, as BLM & USFS documents and public statements often do!) Your document fails to consider the level of natural and unnatural predation or human attacks on these animals in the Spring Mtn. Complex, e.g. of puma, coyote & wild dog packs, rattlesnakes, and – a major oversight – the illegal capture, removal as well as killing of wild horses and burros by members of our own human species. All of these ignored mortality factors can be in fact major!

–Though with much more to impart, I now close in order get this timely input in by June 30, 2013, to the email address provided in your document. I have a history of giving such input as well as federal court testimony to defend the precious wild horses and wild burros of the Spring Mountain Complex. From any objective point of view, these “national heritage, returned native” species are not overpopulated. Though BLM & USFS have contrived to paint a negative picture of them in the Spring Mountain Complex in this and earlier documents, the truer and fuller story of these wonderful and ancient presences is not to be found in such evanescent and shallow-minded assertions. The greater story concerning both horses and burros is one with All Life’s Greatest Story. This story includes us all as equals, all individuals and all kinds – however minutely or broadly categorized – for each inextricably and indispensably related within the Great Unfolding Tree of Life. And to acknowledge, respect, and honor the precious freedom of brother/sister/blesser of humanity horse/burro to realize its greater calling, purpose, and destiny in relation to All of Life, not just humanity alone – well, my friend, this is nothing short of a supreme and liberating Virtue!

Using language such as “emotional horsy lovers” was long used to dismiss efforts by the opposition and enemies of wild horses, which feel either exposed or threatened in their framework, to build a shield against the rising pressure to their cattle kingdoms. Keep up the good work, all of you. The call for change is loud and clear; Americans will not stand by and witness the continuing abuse and cruelty while those in charge remain passive by choice. Decades of mismanagement to cave into the cattle muscle bearing monopoly are a contributing factor to the shrill outcry by some in the advocacy. When horses continue to die, suffer and remain trapped in a propaganda oriented mindset, is it a wonder? The public has not only offered input, help and ideas how to improve this mess. The public has been pushed aside with clever PR stunts and the constant pacifying statements in hopes we go away. The excuse based communication has more than not infuriated members of the animal advocates whose sole goal is to improve the lives of these horses. A thorn in the side of those who use any twist to justify their own callous or cruel actions, the advocacy has successfully shed light onto the inhumane standards which call for national reform. The tunnel vision of those who state helicopter touching horses is justified because these horses are “wild” reflects the bigger mentality under which the wild horses have been doomed. A lack of education in the general public adds to the national crisis. The current state of affairs is a product of secretive decade-long corruption, monopolized by special agendas and greed, with leadership appeasing the outraged public with yet more shield off comments. Mocking the efforts of advocates calling for increased welfare and higher standards in a time of national scandals dooming over the agency, is a tool used by those whose superlative domains and influence are threatened. No horse responds acceptingly to being touched by a helicopter, whether it is domesticated or wild. Yet this is exactly the absurdity on which this battle is raging. An agency, aligned with profit driven agendas, using any and all twists in hopes to alleviate national outrage on their current highly flawed methods. Horses suffer, period. Horses are not treated with the respect and care that would reflect the ironic non-existent “reform and transparency” of those who shout it coming. The American public needs to continue to demand reform, as the silence of new Secretary Jewell deems instructive of the shepherding that exists deep within, while BLM wants the public to believe they care. I am awaiting more action for horses in holding as the current facilities reflect the dire minimalist attitude dooming over any aspect of the program that is not in the interest of the very animals involved. Americans must continue to call in a chorus for reform, to see betterment against the sinister establishment inflicting this irreparable destruction while alternatives such as Reserve Design and proposals for self-stabilizing, sustainable solutions in the wild are on the table. We call on BLM to work with us, not against us. I call on HSUS to mandate immediate measures to take effect. The standby or diplomacy approach has failed our horses. Provision of shelter for holding is a call that has gone national as of last week. In a program allocating millions of tax funds to malignantly driven round ups to evict horses as I type, the agency’s claim of horses in “the open” not needing shade to excuse their absence of shelter is refuted by experts. It is a matter of priorities in which we have seen where they stood for BLM for the last 40 yrs. Any horse seeks shelter, if given a choice. Chutes, flags, panels, fences are not part of the “open range” yet they pose no concern to BLM. Dismissing mustangs as feral is another ploy to distract. Honing such statements shows the core value of those we have exposed to be deceptive. Dismissing real science and the work of capable experts willing to contribute to the much needed improvement of the program shows a fiefdom mentality of biblical proportions to gear to those who used the wild horses to benefit.

Options are available to improve herd management in the wild as BLM was assigned to do. The extended research by experts on how to achieve a balance and truly manage, not extinct these animals, is smugly dismissed. Instead, the pilfering of wild horses continues under guise of managing, whilst all input from the public is ignored. The disregards for welfare in holding, where deaths are deflated or go unreported, are of great concern. The initial installing of a sprinkler for relief is noted and must lead to more efficient permanent infrastructure. These horses have no enrichment, no basic comfort but minimal care. They can be given a better quality of life after the traumatic experiences of being evicted, separated from their bands and degraded into warehoused, sacked commodities. It is just once again the question: where are the priorities of BLM? To mock those who drive for more humane treatment? To push for slaughter as a ploy to deter those defending the horses and their rightful habitat? To issue trivial statements instead of seeking real progress and work with the American public? It remains to be seen. In the meantime, the collective call of people for betterment in holding and on the range will continue. The inevitable urgency is clear and demands the attention of all animal welfare organizations to take note and get involved. The lingering of this debate as a politically influenced soap opera is not acceptable. These are America’s horses, and Americans are calling on BLM to change course. Provide appropriate shelter/relief to holding (suffering exacerbated to increased numbers of equines who should be on the range, not corralled), proposals of workable, cost-efficient ideas have been submitted.

Contemplate solutions that reflect a result of a dialog with the public as well, not only the cattle parties. Balance must be restored, not only on our public lands, but within the think tank that has led to the current reality.

For Immediate ReleaseCanadian Wild Horse Foundation (CWH) launches Federal Petition: Alberta Wild Horses. “Heritage Animal”Canadian Wild Horse Foundation (CWH) has launched a federal petition, which will be submitted to the Canadian Houseof Commons August 2013. The petition urges the Government of Canada to protect the wild horses of Alberta bydesignating them a “Heritage Animal”. The campaign to save Albertaʼs wild horses is actively supported by both local andinternational equine enthusiasts and celebrity.

Today, the wild horses of Alberta fall under the “Stray Animals Act” which classifies them as feral and leaves themseverely unprotected under the Law. They are at serious risk of having their herd(s) population fall below the requirednumbers needed to sustain the natural balance of a healthy gene pool. These horses have an abundance of naturalpredators and harsh living conditions to contend with and are now forced to survive government licensed trapping that notonly send these magnificent animals into the slaughterhouses for human consumption but also seriously risk the future ofAlbertaʼs wild horse herds. According to ESRD (Alberta Environment & Sustainable Resource Development) betweenDecember 2011 and February 2012 there were 216 wild horses captured through a possible 237 permit licensesdistributed by the ESRD. This was a record high cull.

Wild horses have roamed Albertaʼs Crown land for hundreds of years. They are born, live and die in the wild; they are nota stray-animal. They have contributed to the natural eco-system for centuries and are an integral part of it. It is time we letthem live wild and free, so that future generations will be able to appreciate not only their contribution to our countrieshistory but their beauty in a natural environment.

Many Canadianʼs are unaware of the wild horseʼ existence and their immense contribution to the history of Canada. CWHis working to change this. CWH believes it is of the utmost importance to protect the iconic wild horse herds of Albertabefore it is to late. The federal petition is in response to concerned citizens who have initiated letters, emails and phonecalls to political bodies that have fallen on deaf ears.

CWH is urging all Canadians to support the cause to save our wild horses by signing the federal petition available fordownload on CWH Facebook, Google+ Linked In and You Tube Profiles.

AboutCanadian Wild Horse Foundation (CWH) is a group of determined citizens dedicated to the preservation and well being ofCanadaʼs wild horse population. CWH is securing not-for-profit status in Canada.MissionCWH is committed to educating the public about Canadaʼs wild horses and participating in the preservation of wild horsepopulations by utilizing strategic awareness campaigns and supporting other like-minded equine groups and concernedcitizens.

PLEASE HELP SAVE THE WILD HORSES OF ALBERTA!Did you know…any time after November 1st, the government can issue capture licenses to horse trappers? AND that 99% of all wild horses captured end up slaughtered!?

Please write to Diana McQueen and tell her to stop the cull of the Wild Horses of Alberta!

YOU CAN ALSO WRITE TO HON. ALISON REDFORD, PREMIER OF ALBERTAIn addition to writing to Diana McQueen (see my earlier posts) please also write to: the Premier of Alberta and ask her to stop the cull of the Wild Horses of Alberta starting Nov 1st. Thank you!

Renown author of “The Wild Horse Conspiracy”, Mr. Craig Downer will be presenting in London ,Ontario, CANADA next month and I urge any and all of you who are fighting to save both American and Canadian horses from the horrors found in slaughterhouses to attend. Believe me you will find his presentation enlightening as well as thought provoking and it will light your fire to act in a very positive direction to preserve this heritage species, and to put an end to the Canadian participation which enables the war on both US and Canadian horses.

I feel very privileged to work with all who fight so diligently to ensure that wild equines as well as domesticated horses do not continue to face the never ending harassment and the houses of horror called slaughter plants.

Craig has dedicated himself to the Saving of Wild Horses and Burros in the U.S. and has revealed the truth about just what these magnificent horses and burros face in their never ending battle to remain alive and free.

FOREVER WILD AND FREE

Though the horse family is endangered world wide, wild horses and burros on public land remain on the very bottom of the totem pole of priorities of both the Bureau of Land Management & U.S. Forest Service. These are the two agencies charged by law with protecting & managing them. These two “national heritage species,” have rights to live free that are covered by the unanimously passed Public Law 92-195 and that are supported by many millions of ordinary U.S. citizens as well as people worldwide. For these and other sundry reasons, the extent of livestock grazing and the number of permittees involved both in the original Herd Areas and in reduced Herd Management Areas should be clearly spelled out to the public – but this is not currently the case!

The poster below was sent to me via Craig and with permission I am including it in this Blog post.

I have also included links to prior posts which I have on this Blog, all related to the continuing fight to end horse slaughter. To see all posts, just type in wildhorses into the search box at the top right of the Blog page.

Note the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition is very active here in Canada and has published many articles on their own site as well.

Did you know that the Japanese also import live horses from Canada, to slaughter in their own country??? These animals are enclosed in containers so cramped they cannot move and then set sail over open seas to Japan.

Recent scandals in the EU whereby horse meat was sold in various food products to unsuspecting consumers, the EU has banned the import of horsemeat from the US. Canada however continues to accept US wild horses into this country for slaughter and shipping horse meat out of Canada.

CHDC Reposts “Proof of CFIA Failure”, Phenylbutazone Positive Horse Sent to Slaughter and Through the Food Chain

This chart shows the number of horse imported into this country for slaughter, despite the FACT that the US banned slaughter for horsemeat in the early 2000′s. The US closed down her own slaughter houses and Canada took on the role of slaughtering these magnificent wild American horses!!!!

People fear the press release may be lip service. See below. Please prove otherwise. The record shows little real exposure for this crisis. Many people feel that HSUS donors deserve to know. Especially during this holiday time.. when people are targeted to donate to “give love” etc. The public is your backbone for a possible national educational campaign. We know the horrors are real, the cruelty is real and the numbers are inflated. HSUS must act now before more irreversible damage is done.

Most of HSUS donors across the US do not know what is done to our wild horses and burros. Who could educate better than you ? We want the plight of mustangs and your concerns to reach the general public with newsletters, links on website and educational materials with real footage and incidents as they DO go down, to be included. Millions could be reached, millions who know nothing about this tragedy. It lies much deeper than horses – if you have not read the book by Craig Downer, “The Wild Horse Conspiracy”, please do so. It will tell the tale of the West, and the reality of the last 4 decades. Even those who worked for BLM once, would be amazed to learn the truth. It is not a work of fiction or staged on personal greed… it is the truth and it is time for the truth to be accepted and live up to your name.

We must all work together to save one of our most Sacred & Natural Resources…The American Wild Horses! Horses are our Natural Heritage & Legacy, and should share a place with the American Eagle as our National Symbol! Think for a moment where this country would be if it had not been for Horses! It surely doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out…WE WOULD NOT BE THE COUNTRY WE ARE TODAY! So, let’s not serve up our Horses on dinner plates, so that other countries can eat them! Please, let us ALL Work together for a common goal…Saving the American Wild Horses!

Please maintain the pressure and demand change now, tell the real story to Americans – it’s been hidden too long. A turn around only comes from true willingness to achieve it. The challenge is big, yet HSUS is a powerhouse that can help in this mission. It is time – as you noted, the horrors go on, and the hasty evictions do too. BLM needs to be held accountable in a society of 21st century, civilized values – not get away with constant unacceptable deceptive tactics, lies and methods that remind of indifferent savagery.

HSUS : Tell America what is really going on. We all feel this could be the puzzle piece adding the momentum needed in this mission. HSUS ought to cater to the animals’ needs in question here, not the propaganda by those who inflict their suffering and plight. After all, BLM didn’t even meet your PZP expectations in your dealings with them. No time to lose, this is now most urgent. Your latest newsletter reached my inbox. “Give Love”… I agree.

Thank you for your time.

Monika Courtney

Wild Horse escapes containment pen and continues to run with his dangling broken leg.

Video and email sent to me via my Colorado contact who submitted same to BLM with her below comments.

“ No matter what we work for or on whose side we are – this link shows a horse running with a broken leg during a round up. We know accidents happen. But this is bad. You can’t possibly blow this off as just another bad luck event in the minority ? If your wranglers are so professional as your agency claims, this would not happen. Trap pens would be better designed. There is a problem when horses break their necks and legs like this. For God’s sake, this must stop, Tom ! This is America, not the third world of savagery – BLM has got to stop this cruel treatment and find better ways to prevent this. To you it’s just a statistic, to this horse, it was his life, his freedom. He suffered horribly and I cannot fathom the fact that anyone within your agency can allow such horrid mishaps. BLM must improve – are we at least agreeable on this one part ??? And better sooner than later. We have been waiting ! Please respond. “

Canadian Wild Horse Foundation (CWH) has launched a federal petition, which will be submitted to the Canadian House of Commons August 2013. The petition urges the Government of Canada to protect the wild horses of Alberta by designating them a “Heritage Animal” and will be represented in the House by Blake Richards – Member of Parliament, Wild Rose Party Alberta. The campaign to save Alberta’s wild horses is actively supported by both local and international equine enthusiasts and celebrity.

Today, the wild horses of Alberta fall under the “Stray Animals Act” which classifies them as feral and leaves them severely unprotected under the Law. They are at serious risk of having their herd(s) population fall below the required numbers needed to sustain the natural balance of a healthy gene pool. These horses have an abundance of natural predators and harsh living conditions to contend with and are now forced to survive government licensed trapping that not only send these magnificent animals into the slaughterhouses for human consumption but also seriously risk the future of Alberta’s wild horse herds. According to ESRD (Alberta Environment & Sustainable Resource Development) between December 2011 and February 2012 there were 216 wild horses captured through a possible 237 permit licenses distributed by the ESRD. This was a record high cull.

Wild horses have roamed Alberta’s Crown land for hundreds of years. They are born, live and die in the wild; they are not a stray-animal. They have contributed to the natural eco-system for centuries and are an integral part of it. It is time we let them live wild and free, so that future generations will be able to appreciate not only their contribution to our Countries history but their beauty in a natural environment.

Many Canadian’s are unaware of the wild horse’ existence and their immense contribution to the history of Canada. CWH is working to change this. CWH believes it is of the utmost importance to protect the iconic wild horse herds of Alberta before it is to late. The federal petition is in response to concerned citizens who have initiated letters, emails and phone calls to political bodies that have fallen on deaf ears.

CWH is urging all Canadians to support the cause to save our wild horses by signing the federal petition available for download on CWH Facebook, Google+ and You Tube Profiles.

About

Canadian Wild Horse Foundation (CWH) is a group of determined citizens dedicated to the preservation and well being of Canada’s wild horse population. CWH is securing not-for-profit status in Canada.

Mission

CWH is committed to educating the public about Canada’s wild horses and participating in the preservation of wild horse populations by utilizing strategic awareness campaigns and supporting other like-minded equine groups and concerned citizens.